Washing-machine



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. 2Sheets-Sheet 1. L. STERNBERGER.

Washing Mal ohine. No. 234,438. Patented Nova 16,1880.

WITNESSES; INVENTOR:

L. STERNBERGER. Washing Machine.

2 Sheets-Sheet2.

No. 234,438. Patented Nov. 16,1880.

WITNESSES: 7 -%w @\.-1wm,

W Q m@ UNITED STATES PATENT @rrren.

LEOPOLD STERNBERGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,438, dated November16, 1880.

Application filed October 7, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEOPOLD STERNBER- GER, ofthe city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines, ofwhich improvements the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines designed to operate by power forwashing materials or garments in quantities in manufacturingestablishments, and is an improvement upon that for which Letters Patentof the United States No. 192,027 were granted and issued to me underdate of June 12, 1877.

The objects of my present invention are to provide improved means ofconstructing the rotating washing-vessel and maintaining the same intrue cylindrical form, and to furnish a simple and effective means ofopening and closing the water-discharge valves during the rotation ofthe vessel.

To this end my improvements consist, first, in combining, in awashing-vessel, a series of abutting staves, forming a cylindrical body,with metallic end supporting-rings and a series of sector-shaped headssecondly, in combining a washing-vessel so constructed and adapted torotate upon a central shaft with a wheel secured upon said shaftadjacent to one end of the vessel, said wheel having a ring formed uponits periphery, which supports the staves of the cylindrical body, andhaving a driving-gear and a brake-drum formed or secured upon it;thirdly, in combining with said rotative cylindrical washing vesselcertain sliding valves covering openings therein, and valve-operatingdevices capable of being varied in position, whereby the valves may bemoved in either direction during the rotation of the washing-vessel;and, fourthly, in the combination of parts constituting the variablevalve-operating mechanism, all as more fully explained in the followingdescription.

The improvements claimed are hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an end view, in elevation, ofa washing-machine embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a similar view ofthe washing-vessel, taken from the opposite end; Fi 3, a side view, inele- Vation, of the machine; Fig. 4, a perspective view of the devicesfor operating the brake and belt-shifter; Figs. 5 and 6, sectionalviews, showing the end supporting-rings of the washing-vessel; and Fig.7, a plan view of one of the water-discharge valves with its seat andguide.

The washing-vessel A is composed of a series of tongued-and-groovedstaves, u, abutting so as to be united into cylindrical form and boundtogether by hoops to. The ends of the vessel are closed by heads formedof a series of sector-shaped pieces of-wood, a and the vessel is securedupon a shaft, B, which rotates in suitable bearings in a frame, B. Theinterior of the vessel A is divided by a series of slatted partitionsinto radial compartments (in this instance four in number) in a similarmanner to the vessel described and shown in my Letters Patent No.192,027 aforesaid; but as such internal construction eonstitutes no partof my present invention it need not be here particularly set forth.

In order to prevent changes of form in the vessel, resultant upon theexpansion and contraction of the pieces a forming its heads, I interposebetween the head-pieces c and the staves a, at each end of the vessel, ametallic supporting-ring, which is turnedinto truly circular form andlet into a groove cut in the inner faces of the staves. The latter restupon the outer surfaces of the rings and are bound thereto by the hoopsto. The supporting-ring G, at the end of the vessel nearest the drivingmechanism, is preferably formed upon the periphery of a wheel, 0, whichcarries a brake drum or rim, and has secured upon it a spur-gear, 0,through which rotation is imparted to the vessel A from a pinion, d, ona counter-shaft, D, driven from the prime mover, as presently to bedescribed. The supportingring 0 at the opposite end of the vessel, isformed as shown in section in Fig. 5, and an outer ring, 0, is securedupon it, so as to form a circular recess, which acts as a guide for theouter edges 'of the sliding doors J, which close the end openings of theseveral compartments and cover its inner face, so that access of the V,

clothes or material within the vessel to the surface of the ring isavoided, while the ring serves to sustain the staves which bear againstits outer face, and consequently prevents the distortion of the vesselfrom its normal cylindrical form, which tends to ensue where the stavesare supported, as heretofore, only by the wooden lIGtIl'lSGOElOHS.

The counter-shaft D, by which the vessel A is driven, carries a fastpulley, D, and a loose pulley, D and a driving-belt from a main or lineshaft is shifted from the loose to the fast pulley, or vice versa,according as itis desired to rotate or to stop the movement of thevessel, by shifting-arms 6, secured upon a bar ,E, which slides inguides 0 upon the frame of the machine, and is operated simultaneouslywith a friction-band, F, encircling the brake-rim G of the wheel 0, by asliding bar or rod, E, which is connected at one end by a bellcranlt, 6with the bar E, and is provided at the other end with a proper handle orlever, by which it may be moved. Inthe instance shown the end oppositethat to which the bar E is connected is coupled by a bell-crank, a, witha bar or rod, 0*, having a handle upon its opposite end, and

which may, if desired, have a segment-lever and catches for holding itin desired position, the object of employing the bar 0 being, for thesake of convenience, to enable the operator to start and stop themachine from the end adjacent to which the valve-operating lever islocated.

A pin, 0 upon the bar .E enters a slot in the upper end of one arm, 0,of a rockshaft, 6 which is mounted in a bearing on theframe B of themachine, and carries two arms, 0 e, to which the ends of thefriction-band F are respectively connected.

By the vibration of the rock shaft, induced by the movement of the bar Eto the left in Fig. 1, (which movement shifts the driving-belt from thefast to the loose pulley,) the friction-band F is pressed againsttheface of the brake rim 0 and the movement of the vessel A is arrestedcoincidently with the cessation of the application of driving-power tothe counter-shaft D, and, conversely, the Me tion band is released fromthe brake-rim coincidently with the movement of the bar E to the rightto apply power to the counter-shaft.

The starting and stopping mechanisms, although here described for thebetter understanding of the entire machine, do not form a part of theimprovement herein claimed, but are set forth and claimed in a separateapplication filed by me.

Water and solution of soap can be best supplied to the vessel A at oneof its ends, as set forth in myPatent No. 192,027, before referred to,and for the purpose of drawing off water from the vessel from time totime, as may be required. Each of its compartments is provided with anopening covered by a plate, G, having a port-ion of its surfaceperforated, grated, or provided with a screen or strainer,

which opening may be closed at pleasure by a valve, G, slidinglongitudinally over the plate Gr between inclined or dovetailed guidesGr formed on the sides thereof.

One of the guides G is parallel to the line of movement of the valve G,and the otheris slightly inclined thereto, a wedge or liner, g, the twosides of which are respectively parallel to the two guides, and which islongitudinally adjustable by means of bolts passing through slottedholes, being interposed bet-ween the valve G and the inclined guide, soas to enable wear of the guides and valve to be taken up as required,and an easy movement of the valve without undue slackness to be assured.

A stud, g, carrying a friction-roller, g projects from the face of eachof the valves G, and the valves may be opened or closed, as desired,during the rotation of the vessel, by means of two cam-arms, H, each ofwhich is pivoted to the frame of the machine adjacent to the pathdescribed by the studs g in the revolution of the vessel A, and iscurved longitudinally concentrically therewith and bent transverselyoutward at its free end, as shown in Fi 3.

The canrarms H are connected by a link, h, to which they are pivoted atthe point in their-length at which they are bent, so that their leastdistance apart shall be such as to allow the friction-rollers to passeasily between them, and the link h is, in turn, pivoted at its centerto a horizontal bar, H, fitting in guides on the frame, and which maybemoved longitudinally therein by a hand-lever, H secured upon arock-shaft, h, mounted in a bearin g in the frame and carrying an arm,h, the upper end of which is connected to the bar H.

The hand-lever H may be held in any desired position by a segment, h andspringdetcnt h*, and, according to the greater or less range of movementimparted to it, the camarms H will proportionately move the valves G bythe contact of the friction-rollers g with their inner surfaces in therotation of the vessel A, the openings in the plates Gr remaining whollyor partially covered or uncovered, in accordance with the positions towhich the valves are brought by any adjusted position of the cam-arms,until the valves are moved by a change in the position of the hand-leverand cam-arms. The inclination at which the cam-arms are bent may begreater or less, according as the valves are desired to be moved more orless quickly, and any desired degree of opening may be given by acorresponding adjustment of the hand-lever, the water escaping inaccordance therewith from each of the grated or perforated plates as itin turn descends below the axis of the vessel A during the rotationthereof.

Each of the several compartments of the washing-vessel has an endopening, I, through which the material to be washed is introduced andremoved, and which is closed by a door,

J, sliding circumferentially over the head in which the openingis'formed between guides, one of which is formed by the supporting-ring(J and the outer ring, 0, and the other by a flan ged ring, 0, securedupon the head or upon the shaft of the vessel. Each door, when closed,is held firmly in position by radial bolts K, sliding in guides orstaples it upon the door and entering staples 70 upon the rings a and 0,respectively. The bolts K are moved into and out of the staples k bycrank-disks k pivoted upon the doors, between and in line with thebolts, and to which the latter are connected by links It. Thecrank-disks may be vibrated by means of handles, or by a proper wrenchor spanner fitting over projections formed upon them, and to guardagainst any unauthorized access to the compartments of the vessel A thebolts of each of the doors are, when the door is closed, secured inposition by a lock, 70*, which prevents such movement of the crank-diskas would admit of the withdrawal of the bolts from the staples k.

1 claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Thecombination, in a washing vessel, of a series of abutting staves forminga cylindrical body, a metallic supporting-ring fitting into a grooveformed in the inner surface of the cylindrical body adjacent to each ofits ends, and heads composed of a series of sectorshaped pieces, each ofwhich abuts at its outer end against the inner surface of one of thesupporting-rings, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of a cylindrical washingvessel the body of which iscomposed of a series of abutting staves, and which is secured to androtates with a central shaft, and a wheel secured upon said shaftadjacent to one end of the vessel, said wheel having a ring formed uponits periphery, which supports the staves of the cylindrical body, andhaving a drivinggear and a brake-drum formed or secured upon it,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the rotating cylindrical washing-vessel, slidingvalves which cover openings therein and are each provided with a studprojecting radially from the vessel, two pivoted cam-arms, between whichthe valvestuds pass in the rotation of the vessel, and a sliding arm bywhich the cam-arms may be varied in position so as to move the valves ineither direction during the rotation of the washing-vessel,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the pivoted cam-arms, the link connecting saidarms, the sliding bar pivoted to said link, the hand-lever for operatingsaid-sliding bar, and the segment and spring-detent for regulating theposition of the hand-lever, substantially as set forth.

LEOPOLD STERNBERGER.

Witnesses:

J. SNowDnN BELL, B. F. TELLER.

